Samanayrs

Rules & Info

• - Only respond to this thread in character with your expedition posts, but feel free to talk about the expedition on the Signup thread here!
  
  - Items given out will be based on effort, creativity, and a little randomness. No one will go home with an empty basket! The area(s) you search may affect the prizes available.
  
  - Remember that you will not know what your Sam has found until I have written a response to your RP post and given out items. If you found them in an earlier round and aren't careful, they may be lost in a later round's misstep!
  
  - Include which location your Samanayr is searching in your post. Please note you may only go to ONE location in a single post, though you can move to another area in a later post if you wish.
  
  - If you post your response before I make my second post (in about 48 hours), you will have an opportunity to do twice the searching. (And if everyone responds to both posts before the week is up, there may just be a third round!)

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Here is the Expedition Roster again. If you don't get a chance to post for the first round, then you can certainly still post for the second! If you have any questions about the setting, please feel free to shoot me a PM.

Please include the thumbnail of your Sam at the top of each RP post.

LvSoulFriend's Mystic of a Hidden Land
Nightfeathers' Sunset of the Ancient Canyon
Jennalyn's Summoner of the Fabled Relic
Orasteele's Mystic Filly
AsaraDragon's Lilac of the Endless Spring
Jaes' Jewel of the Deepest Trench
Pristine's Reel at the Rainbow's End
RikkuGirl's Passion of the Radiant Depths
Origami_Dragon's Spectrum
Yuiven's Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens

After a relatively moderate summer, the Sharians have decided to celebrate the season with an expedition to a special place.

All interested parties were instructed to meet up at the mouth of a small river, where it tumbled over a handful of boulders into the sea. From there they formed up in a line, making their way carefully along the river bank (Or in and over the river itself as wings and fins would allow) through an undisturbed forest.

Soon, an enormous bluff loomed over the trees in the distance and the river path led toward it. The Sharians made camp within sight of the bluff, but not too close to it. Anyone venturing closer to the bluff finds that casual conversation is difficult over the roar of the water. As the water cascades over the pockmarked, dark stone of the bluff, the spray catches the sunlight and tosses rainbows casually into the air over the river.

Once the blue river is over the falls it is trapped in a natural stone bowl before proceeding at a more leisurely pace back the way the expedition came. Large, flat boulders can be found in the coarse sand, and minnows dart through the aquatic plants at the bottom of the riverbed. The pool is dark and mysterious, the water is deep enough that anyone standing on the shore cannot see it's depths. Certainly, the area nearer to the waterfall would be more stony, and the area nearer the river would be more sandy, but it is difficult to tell exactly what is down there.

The high bluff is made of a dark, porous stone and littered with hoof-holds for the daring to climb and explore. Periodically, the cliffside is broken by convenient ledges on which grow scrubby grasses and small shrubs. Likewise, the top of the bluff is very windswept, with mostly grasses, boulders, and some wizened trees leaning into the breeze. From the top, a commanding view of the area can be had.

The river is swift at the top of the bluff. The Sharians caution their diminutive friends that while the pond and river at the bottom of the bluff are relatively safe, most Samanayrs would have a difficult time in the currents at the top of the bluff, so fliers and climbers should beware the water.

Then, of course, there is still the cool forest to either side of the river. The deep shade beckons those who are hot and dusty from their travels. The trees are mostly mature, broad-leafed varieties with a few prickly pines mixed in sparsely. The forest floor has a thick collection of leaf-litter from several years' autumns, and the leaves give off a sort of spicy smell when crunched under-hoof. Between the large root systems of the trees are small bunches of bushes that look like they may have held fruit earlier in the season.

Rainbows, rainbows! They were going to a special place known for rainbows! Spectrum practically skipped through the sky as she floated along with the rest of the group over the river and through the woods. True, she could cause rainbows in most anywhere she wanted them, but she loved seeing them appear on their own. Twirling and frisking as the bluffs drew into sight, growing even more excited as they grew close enough to see the twinkle and flash of the rainbows as they formed and vanished in the misty spray surrounding the base of the falls, Spectrum yearned towards the rainbows, which seemed to grow more frequent as they drew closer.

She fretted as the Sharian stopped to make camp before readying their accompanying Sams for the expedition. Spectrum made it hard for them to harness her into the set of pouches that would carry her finds back as she kept twisting and drifting, constantly in motion. Finally the last strap was set, the final buckle tested. As the Sharian stepped away the Elemental was off like a shot. But only for a few feet. Then she drew up again and looked carefully over the lake-like pool that formed before the river meandered its way off into the forest.

Wings slowly beat the air, holding her in an effortless hover as wide silver eyes drank in the sight. Where to go first? The slight weight of the packs at her sides vaguely reminded her that she was supposed to be searching for...well, she wasn't sure what to look for actually. She had just heard rainbows and clamored to come. Some sort of trinket to remember this trip perhaps? Where did you find trinkets for rainbows? In the water? She looked down at the pool full of the clinging substance. No. Perhaps not. Yes, rainbows were born of water, but in the air, as a mist, not huge clinging pools of the stuff that weighted you down and tried to pull you in. No, it had better be on the high bluff.

That decided the Rainbow Elemental darted forwards once more, wings barely moving as she shot over the water and rose, skimming the bluff and scattering rainbows herself as the spray moistened her gleaming scales and made them catch the light like hundreds of tiny prisms. As she rose above the level of the mist she leveled off and hovered, looking down through the spray at the water darkened rocks below. She was about halfway up the bluff by now, and staying well clear of the rushing water of the falls themselves. She didn't need any warning (which she hadn't really listened to anyways) to know to avoid that tumbling stream. She had no desire to be pulled down from the sky.

For a long moment she hung in the air, eyes darting over the ground below. Grey stone, black stone, brown stone...why such dim colors? Ah, there! Floating down and over a bit she approached one of the many ledges that dotted the cliffside. Only this one was a riot of color against the somber shades of the cliff as a small tangle of wildflowers clung to existence amidst the rest of the scrubby growth. Dropping down until her spiked feet actually touched the ground she buried her muzzle in the blooms with a contented sigh. So pretty...

After a while she began nosing around among the roots, drifting slowly around the ledge as she looked. Here among the colors, this was the best place to look for a trinket of the falls. Every now and then she raised her nose from the plants to once more gaze contentedly over the edge of the ledge at the shimmering rainbows that filled the air below. Such a wonderful place! She really must find something to remember it by and remind her to come back again!

It was all so fascinating that Jewel of the Deepest Trench was nearly in scholarly ecstasy, which made her nearly impossible to catch. New sea grass and mollusks and those minnows - she'd never seen that pattern of scales before! The Sharians were able to coax her back by promising her netting to hold her discoveries, and even as they attached the bags to her, Jewel was wiggling to dive back down to the deeper waters. There were endless fish to follow, countless pebbles to investigate, limitless strands of seaweed to nibble. What a haul she'd have to bring back to Flood of the Gnarled River. Perhaps they'd do an expedition of their own, if the cataloging was done in time! Her eyes were wide with excitement and her horizontal pupils dilated widely as she zoomed to the bottom of the blue river and back to the surface.

Jewel was an aquatic, through and through. With only a few kicks of her powerful, finned legs and a flick of her tadpole tail, the samanayr was able to speed through the water. She marveled at the differences between the blue river and her own watery territory; the mineral composition of the water could be different, or perhaps it was due to the variety of trees growing around the water's edge. Intriguing! But every splash was a new experience: the water was cooler, a little harder, with a different river bed. Even the rich soil stirred differently when she swam by. She popped up to the surface for mouthfuls of air and then arched her back to dive back down, her fin wings flashing in the light before they disappeared under the waves.

If she could perhaps rope the other samanayrs on the expedition into being her research assistants...? Now that was a possibility! With air and land explorers obeying her instructions, a much more detailed study could be compiled! Even the filly would serve an important purpose: fitting into the smaller rocky crevices that the full-grown sams could only peer into. Indeed, an excellent idea, Jewel thought to herself as she glided through the water. She'd always wanted a full team of students. And the reports they'd have to give afterward - Why, just the thought of the lectures made Jewel splash with glee.

But all that was washed away when she came to the area by the waterfall. Amazing! In fact, the word "amazing" didn't even begin to describe it. Jewel had never had the opportunity to study a waterfall before, and for a moment she simply stared. Her compliments to the Sharians for camping at such a landform! Her awe, while undampened, was quickly met with her overwhelming need to study and Jewel was again a blur of splashing motion. It was becoming obvious that she couldn't simply take just anything back home with her - she'd end up hauling the entire river with her. She therefore needed to select only the most important artifacts, Jewel decided with a decisive snort and toss of her head. With such a cornucopia of discoveries, she'd surely find an item worth keeping.

The news of a new expedition had graced Passion's ears. Curious of such an adventure, he signed up. As luck would have it, the Sharians picked him to embarq on their quest to the High Rainbow Falls. Never had his eyes laid upon their spleandor but the longing to see such a sight seemed to be too much. His 6 legs shivered as he approached the mouth of the rivier, touching down on the bank with a soft 'thud'; the meeting spot upon which he was told to gather. Other sams of all types gathered at the rivers mouth, including one of his lovely mares Summoner of the Fabled Relic. He nuzzled her softly and then smiled at the rest respectfully and took his place in line, deciding to walk in the begining of his exploration. "I do hope you enjoy youyrself..." She said to her with a smile, letting her do as she pleased; free to explore and have fun.

He made note to look around as they walked along the river; others swiming and some flying, enjoying every sight. The trees were comforting, their roots lifted and burried beneath the cool dirts grasp, reminding him of his home in the forest. Flowers and life seemed to flourish in this untouched place. A large smile crossed his face as they neared the bluff that had been faded in the distance; it was huge! Rainbows danced in the humid air, giving the falls their suitable name. Amazed at such a sight he couldnt help but take flight, remembering where the camp had been set up. Other sams of all kinds seemed to scatter, going about their exploration of this undisturbed land. His brilliant butterfly wings lifted him into the air gracefully, his legs dangling underneath him as he climbed higher and higher towards the high falls.

An elemental cast even more rainbows into the air giving the falls an even more glorious appeal and widening his smile. He hovered infront of the falls, about half way up and well above the mist below; far enough away from the falling waters, almost deadly, grasp. The sight was spectacular. Like nothing he had ever seen, breath taking. His smile faded into a frown as the loud thundering of the falls finally set in, his ears as delicate as his wings. With a wince he decided to fly backwards, distancing himself from the roaring waters echo.

His wings continued to flap as his eyes floated from the top of the bluff all the way beneath him to the murky depths of the waters below. The bowl of water the falls fell into, directly beneath him, seemed to be darker than any he had ever seen. Making him wonder if there was a bottom or if it meerly went to the other side of the world. He smirked with the thought, impossible. He would be sure to ask his mare if this was true, assuming at some point she would explore their depths. With a frisky shake of his head and a whinny of excitement he decided to climb to the top of the bluff. He could only imagine the view it held and the possibilities of things to see and explore.

His wings darted him forward and up up up! As he climbed the air seemed to get thinner, much harder to breath, and the suns light was causing him to overheat. His thick fluffy fur started to weigh him down as his body began to heat up; the mixture of humidity and heat almost unbearable. Frustrated by his inability to reach the top he decided to go back down to The Blue River bank and regain his composure and search for treasure. With a simple twist and roll he started to dive back down to the ground, his wings tucking by his sides as he picked up speed; normally quite the acrobat. The dark waters quickly approached as he seemed to fall from the sky, his wings opening in time to catch him with enough distance for only his toes to grace the body of waters surface.

The mist of the falls instantly cooled him off as he glided to the bank. Though the mist was refreshing it was also a natural danger to those of his kind, fluffy and butterfly; the packs tied on his sides didnt help him either. The water in the air seemed to cling to his beautiful wings and his fluffy coat, weighing him down more than he was used to. Since this was his first true experience with a waterfall he was not aware of waters effect on his body in the air. His eyes became wide as he started to sink into the water, tucking his feet beneath him as his wings started to flap harder. With a frustrated yell he flew into the water, his body skipping over its surface like a rock until he landed on the rivers bank, the soft sand cushioning his landing. "Noooo...."

Thankfully he was not hurt, but his pride was. He looked around to see if anyone had seen his horrible display; especially his mare, standing quickly to brush himself off and inspect his wings. Nothing is toyrn, thank goodness. He thought to himself as he looked around the rivers bank. With a sigh and a quick shake he regained his thoughts. "Not what I was expecting..." he said aloud to himself, hoping he could just forget what just happened. With a sigh of frustration he slowly approached and looked down to the waters dark and murky surface, leaning his head down to drink its cool and life giving liquid.

His eyes stayed ever vigilant as he cautiously sipped his fill, water still dripping from his coat like rain. "Maybe I should...stay on the gyround foyr a while..." he said aloud, speaking his thoughts as if it would help him to focus better. Obviously, he was not the explorer he wanted to be.

So many… It was all that she could think, looking at all of the adult sams gathered for the hunt. But determined not to fall behind, her little legs followed behind the group as they approached the bluffs. Blue eyes grew wide as they stared up at the streaming falls. This was going to be great!

With her diminutive frame she could only carry one basket, but that would be enough. Watching the adults go off the tiny mystic slowly turned to look at her options. She'd never make it up the bluffs, they were just too high for her little legs. As a water aligned mystic she liked to play in the water, but somehow she doubted she'd swim very far with the extra weight of a basket tied toher. That just left the heavily rooted trees of the cool forest to hunt.

As she approached the looming trees her eyes grew wide. They were HUGE! And the roots had many nooks and crannies that were perfectly sized for her tiny form. First thing was first. She ran headlong toward a large pile of leaves laughing in delight as they crunched and crackled, scattering them to the wind. Who knew that hunting for treasures could be so fun! Shaking off the debris she noticed a space beneath a nearby oak. Coming close she pushed a fern aside to squiggle her way into a space beneath the tree. In her opinion it would be the perfect place for someone to hide treasure! Only littles could fit in such a place. That she was certain of!

It wasn't often that Mystic of a Hidden Land was in the Rainbow Hotspring area. More often than not, she was out exploring, finding new places and interesting items. On a whim, she had checked back in at the Hotsprings, and was delighted to find out that there was an expedition about to start! She quickly signed up, and started getting ready to spend time out hunting down interesting things for the Sharians.

Once they arrived at the expedition site, Mystic couldn't help but sit a moment and enjoy the scenery. Such a beautiful sight, especially with all of the rainbows, was a joy to behold, and not something that was found everywhere! She laughed with delight as what appeared to be a rainbow Elemental created many more rainbows on her way to finding treasures.

Shifting herself, she waited patiently for the Sharians to outfit her with harness and bags to carry home any treasures she might find. Her dragonet Burl was probably off exploring already, the little pest. Thanking the Sharians, she spread her wings wide, and lifted off, before coming to a hover overhead and pondering where to go. Definitely not the water, her wings would drag her down! The forest would involve more walking, and her legs had had enough of that right now, from the trek here. Nodding her head to herself, she shifted her wings from a holding pattern into flight, and soared up the side of the cliffs, ignoring for the moment the scattered ledges along its side. Her destination was the top of the high bluff, and then she'd work her way back down.

A brown blur followed in her wake, chittering and squawking at her, though she couldn't hear it over the sound of the falls. It wasn't until Mystic made it to the windswept top that she realized that she was being follow. A few more moments were required to sooth Burl's indignant feelings, before starting to investigate the few trees and scattered boulders that were scattered in the windswept grasses.

Burl continued muttering quietly, as he clung to the harness on her back.

Lilac stepped out from behind a group of Sharians into the clearing where the expedition was to begin. She blinked her eyes to adjust to the bright sun, and looked around with wide eyes at the beauty of the hot spring. She had been more than a little overawed at the collection of Sams that had signed up for this expedition, now she felt that she might just faint from the sheer majesty of the location. She gathered her thoughts and shook her head gently as a Sharian approached with her carrying harness.

"Are you all right?", the Sharian asked, concern plain on his face. "Oh, yes, yes, just a bit oveyrwhelmed, thank you. This is veyry diffeyrent from the spyring wheyre my Song takes yresidence!", Lilac replied with a wry smile. Taking a deep breath, she looked more closely at the area, trying to size up the best places to begin her hunt.

The blue river was beautiful, but she had never been a strong swimmer. The high bluff looked interesting, but she thought she might have to get herself together a bit more before attempting those heights. The cool forest, on the other hand, looked green and inviting. She had always loved plants, and she thought she might be able to do her best work there.

Lilac trotted off into the trees once her harness was secure. She poked her nose into the bushes here and there, hoping to find a hidden treasure. As she hunted, a sudden breeze lifted up some leaves from the forest floor and swirled them around her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of the earth. It reminded her of playing in the forest of her birth Song in the autumn, rolling in the leaves and tossing them at her dam. An impish spirit took hold of her then, and she beat her wings madly, creating a veritable tornado of leaves and debris. She giggled quietly and pawed around in the clear patch she had made. What might be lurking under those leaves?

"E-X-P-E-D-I-T-I-O-N! Ex-pe-di-tion!" sang Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens jauntily, bobbing her head in time to each beat of the rhythm in that tune. As the lyrics of her made-up song fade out to silence, she bursts into a fit of giggles, before quieting down.

This was the first time she had ever been on an expedition. Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens was one of ten Samanayrs, who had been invited by the Sharians to come to a special location and explore this uncharted territory beyond the established borders of The Song of the Rainbow Hotsprings, scavenging for any treasure that could be found and stored in their carry-baskets to bring back-- baubles, plants or maybe even befriend an animal or another Samanayr unknown to them!

Slowly, as if in a dream, she fluttered onwards and upwards, glancing around in wonder while she flew through the air. All around her, other flight-capable Samanayrs flapped their wings in order to remain aloft within their shared airspace. Below, grounded Samanayrs walked in single file along the trail that cut its way through the woods on the riverbank situated next to the blue river, where aquatics were swimming swiftly against its weak current in the clear waters, making little splashes. Never had she seen such a small assembly of Samanayrs gathered together in one place, nor Samanayrs who looked so strange yet captivating-- almost every kind of species she could have imagined. They were lead by appointed Sharian guides to reach their destination. All of a sudden, she blinked hard, snapping herself back to reality, as the realization of just how privileged she was to be here kicked in. A smile, wider than usual, stretched across the Minayr Shifter's muzzle, but she said nothing more.

The day had dawned warm and clear, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer, when the party had set out early in the morning, for the expedition. By now, hours had passed since their departure from the mouth of that small river, and Shifter of the Enchanted Garden's polychromatic faerie wings began to sag from the exertion to keep up with the pace. Exhaustion built within her to the point that it was becoming unbearable.

Fortunately, before asking the inevitable, annoying question, "Ayre we theyre yet?", she and the rest of the diverse group came upon a scene of indescribable beauty.

Azure eyes widening, Shifter couldn't stifle the gasp of awe when she saw the giganimous craggy bluff looming over the broad-leaved trees and some scattered evergreens alike standing sentinel. Wildflowers blossomed abundantly in all bright, colours-- yellows, reds, blues, pinks, lilacs and whites contrasting pleasantly against the green of the grass. From high above at the summit, a waterfall cascaded over the dark, cracked and punctured stone wall down to a deep, plunge pool at its base, encircled by boulders. The sun continued to shine overhead, sending shafts of golden light through the sky. Spray from the waterfall created a misty haze that caused the airborne water droplets to reflect the sunlight, forming a rainbow that arced across the blue river. The tiny mare kept opening and closing her mouth, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't think what to say. The name High Rainbow Falls was very appropriate!

Preoccupied as she had been, it took a few moments for her to notice the Sharians had stopped to make camp, before preparing their accompanying Samanyrs for the expedition.

Feeling a heated flush, Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens ducked her head between her shoulders awkwardly, embarrassed at being caught off guard. She swooped down and landed on a low-hanging branch of a tree at the edge of the camp, to rest her weary wings.

Meanwhile, there were two Sharians holding a whispered conversation under the tree where Minayr Shifter was perched.

Despite what was happening now, she sighed to herself as she watched the Sharians work. 'I wish the Shayrians would huyryry and finish up so I can gooo! Most of the otheyr seayrcheyrs have left alyready.'

One Sharian glanced at the other and then towards Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens. Almost as if they were reading her thoughts, the first of the bipedal dragons turned and walked towards a recently-erected tent, opened the flap to its entrance and went inside, rummaging around for a few minutes before emerging.

Startled by the sudden change in movement, Shifter watched in guarded curiosity as the Sharian approached her, holding up a specially-modified harness with a single carry-basket attached-- designed to be worn by the smallest of the small Samanayrs. Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens's face lit up. Letting out a squeal of delight, she trotted in place on the branch. The anticipation gave her a case of the fidgets, barely able to stand still, but cooperating while the Sharian tacked the Minayr Shifter up, making absolutely certain that the leather straps were properly cinched, snug on her sides, and the carry-basket was comfortably positioned between her wings. No point in prolonging this experience any more by causing an issue... and the sooner this Sharian did what needed to be done, the sooner she could begin searching.

Once the process was finished, the attending Sharian stepped back and looked over her quickly, inspecting the gear to make sure everything fitted correctly. Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens leaned forward in anticipation, coming precariously close to falling off the branch, if her stone talons weren't already embedded into the gnarled bark underneath her, awaiting confirmation to start.

...Then the signal came: a thumbs up. Finally! Wasting no more time, the eager combination Samanayr sat back on her haunches and then vaulted herself into the air, soaring into the sky with mane strand waving like a banner trailing behind her. "Thaaank yooou!" she called out.

Higher and higher she was carried into the sky, until the propulsion from the initial launch decelerated, forcing her to slow to a stop and allowing the rest of her senses to catch up to her. Hovering in mid-air, she turned 360 degrees, following the compass rose, as she surveyed the landscape below. Where to? Being what she was, Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens could use her abilities to go anywhere to begin her own hunt. Yet she felt strangely drawn to the familiarity of the green places, filled with vibrant flowers and trees.

Giving in to her impulses, she adjusted her flight path with a simple twist of her colourful faerie wings and propelled herself onward to the cool forest on the opposite side of the river, excited by what she mind find over there.

Though they had not traveled the initial journey together due to physical limitations, Passion's presence on this expedition eased some worry in Summoner's mind. The unfamiliar waters and the presence of the Sharians unnerved her and left her feeling overawed at the entire experience, which she did not appreciate. The collected demeanor she generally attempted to project had shuffled into a muted shyness during her first conversation with a Sharian. Trembling limbs clearly indicated that she hadn't managed to regain her composure since.

She remained quiet as they ventured further up the river en masse and spent a good while admiring the spectacle of the large waterfall and its prismatic spray. The ledges climbing the bluff and the mysteries that could await those brave enough to ascend... they tempted her. Especially with the promise of the river above to explore. She was no Elemental, though, and the torrent of water cascading down in front of her left some doubt in her mind as to whether or not she could withstand the current near its peak.

Besides, she looked ridiculous on the rare occasions she opted to fly, and she really didn't fancy her handsome stallion watching her haul herself aloft like an injured bird until she could thump down onto a ledge for a rest along the way. It would take too long for her wings to dry, and she might not even find anything.

...no. She would content herself with exploring the blue river and its depths.

Or maybe not its depths? Her fellow Aquatic sped straight towards the basin formed below the waterfall and she hesitated, remembering one or two spots she'd noticed during their travels that she wanted to investigate further. The texture of the riverbed left a great deal up to the imagination, and she believed it entirely possible that some items of interest may have been swept further along before finding their resting place.

She flicked her thick tail once in indecision, velvety fur swaying gently in the current, before flipping around and beginning to swim back the way they'd come. She undulated slowly as she passed by minnows and grasses, solid eyes intent. Her pendant caught the attention of a few fish, who attempted a curious nibble when she stilled for long enough, but they could do nothing to harm it and she ignored their attempts. She nosed carefully in the crevices around the boulders and tried not to stir up too much muck from the bottom in her search.

Warm sunlight beaming down from above was making Sunset of the Ancient Canyon uncomfortably warm. He shivered, the feathers in his sides fluffing a bit and releasing some trapped heat into the trickling breeze that made his nose itch slightly. The nearby river was making him a little nervous, enough that he decided to forgo walking in favor of a low glide along the path beside those rippling waves. His feet might slip and send him into the water but his wings would make no such mistake.

The sight of the rainbows in the midst of the cascading waters momentarily mesmerized him. Such bright colors were not overly common in his home area. Sunset's wings bring him to rest a safe distance from the bubbling vortex of death at the cliff's base. He certainly has no intention of going near that for anything!

The coolness of the canopy nearby beckons, but he is wary of the enclosed nature of the area. It would be difficult if not impossible to fly between the trees. He gives a low whistle, a gesture of annoyance, and directs his gaze upwards past the waterfall to the high bluff. Perhaps up there he'll find someplace more to his liking.

With a short run and a leap Sunset of the Ancient Canyon in airborne once again. His wings flap lazily, directing him into the updraft of air that rising from the waterfall below. It carries him in circles higher and higher until at last the bluff itself lies beneath his feet.

Some stubby grasses cushion his landing as he touches down. On this high peak the wind is stronger providing some much needed relief. Sunset looks over the edge and draws the fresh, moist air deep into his lungs. This place feels like home, comfortable and more secure.

Of course that feeling is somewhat off-put by the presence of a strange mare who had beaten him to the bluff. Sunset watches her at first, curious about her intentions, but she seems here only to hunt for interesting objects as he is. Eventually he decides she is neither threat nor potential song material and returns his attention to the scrub. His nose drops and he pokes a talon into the grasses to part them. If anything useful is up here he is certain it'll be found here among the grasses or perhaps the stubby trees. If not here it would have been blown off the edge into the water sooner or later.

Reel was probably just as excited as the rest of the pack to be out and about, helping the Sharians gather whatever items might litter their destination. He perhaps had a more enthusiastic way of sharing his excitement, though; his leaps and multiple-wing-fluttering bounds took him in circles 'round the group, 'round the Sharians, even over the Sharians' heads until one of them gave him a very pointedly perturbed look and he settled down a bit. He couldn't help it, the energy was just zapping around inside him like a loose lightning bolt, and he just wanted to jump around with it!

The Sharians had an expectedly difficult time putting a harness around Reel. The extra wings would have made it difficult on their own; with him fidgeting and tugging at the leads and desperately trying to turn his head 360 degrees to examine everything at once, like an overstimulated owl, it was a wonder Reel was not still donning his harness at the end of the day. They did finally buckle him in, and he gave an appreciative whirrip and flexed his wings demonstrably. The Sharian that had put the harness on him gave him a firm nod, and then waved off into the distance. Reel's eyes followed the motion to fall on the other Samanayrs in his group running far out ahead of him, already exploring the brilliant surroundings. Reel did not need to be told twice! Dirt clods and grass flew up around his claws as he launched himself into the air and soared toward the high bluff. He wanted a good vantage of everything below!

In fact, the high bluff was not quite so easy to master. He thought he would float up and land rather easily atop it, but a sudden wind buffeted him and threatened to easily smash him into the rockside with no second thoughts, and the spray from the falls irritated his eyes, slicked his fur, and made it surprisingly cold. He chittered angrily at the wind, trying to scold it, but to no avail; imminently he reached out and hooked his foreclaws into a foothold, scratching and scrabbling until all four legs were steady beneath him. He pulled his wings in and preened them quickly, meaning to look as though he'd done what he'd intended from the outset.

He couldn't sit here long, he thought to himself. He needed to start searching, not to mention get out of the spray of mist that was constantly spitting at him. He thought it would be nice when they first arrived and the droplets of water sprayed prisms of rainbows cascading across the landscape, but water was water, and it was wet, and he wanted no more of that! With a bit of an 'umpf' of effort, he began to climb, making certain to pick the right footholds - especially for his rear hooves - and glaring with determination at a nearby, wide ledge that he decided would be a good goal.

He made it to the ledge with only a few lost feathers. With a heaving chest he pulled himself up to it, then laid, stretched out across it, exhausted. What a workout! Maybe he would have eaten fewer cookies earlier this week had he known he was going to have to drag them all the way up a bluff with him!

After sufficient rest, he managed to shake off the mists and ignore his weary muscles long enough to start sniffing about the ledge he'd ended up on. There were a number of hardy, scraggly grasses, reaching up from crevices in the rock, and even a shrub or two had somehow found a foothold. Almost everything was covered in lichen and moss; Reel tentatively took a lick of the moss and pulled back immediately, face twisted in disgust. DEFINITELY not lunch. Maybe they would have cookies for him when this was all over.

After examining the bushes, Reel found a tumbled pile of rocks that looked like the result of a small rockslide. He rolled some out of the way - one rolled down and nearly tried to crush his claw, what a naughty rock! - and peered about under the pile, looking for anything that might have caused such a small rockslide and anything that might have come down among the rocks or been buried by them.

There was also an indentation in the rockside, like a very shallow cave that might have fit a baby Samanayr had one tried to curl up in there. It was dark and his eyes refused to adjust as he peered into the hollow. He heard a rustling noise and his brain immediately screeched "BATS!"; Reel scrabbled back from the entrance and, though no bats came out, he felt safer just staying away from the hollow in the rockside, unless something in there glinted and caught his eye.

You can continue in the location you’re at or change to a new one for the next round, just remember to bold the location you wish to search!
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It really was too bad that the bluff itself wasn’t more colorful! Still, from the ledges on it, Spectrum still had a great view of the dancing rainbows generated by the falls. The air currents and mist rippled in the bright light, entrancing the rainbow elemental, but there was still the matter of a souvenir from the journey...

Turning to the ledge and it’s own riot of color, Spectrum looked for some appropriately colorful. Muzzle deep in the wildflowers on the ledge, she caught a very distinct, intoxicating aroma. With a bit of digging from her spikes, she moved enough greenery out of the way to see a Sweetscent Flower. Well... it’s not exactly as colorful as one could have hoped, but it’s a good start!

Pulling her head up from the flowers, Spectrum felt an itch in her mane... It appears that a Rainbow Lamanayr Feather stuck itself to her while she was digging!

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At once, Jewel began thinking of the best means for discovering something worth keeping for further study at home. Bringing home the waterfall itself certainly wouldn’t be practical! A single mare couldn’t undertake a pattern-search by herself, and the opportunities to rope in a research assistant were dwindling as the other Samanayrs received their baskets and scattered to search their own locations. Why, even the other aquatic Samanayr decided to search farther downstream!

There was the waterfall itself, still mesmerizing. Drifting unconsciously toward it, Jewel noted the height of the bluff and the way the turbulent water at the base spread out any debris that came over the falls in wide circles. Then there was also the odd, acoustic echo of the water as it reverberated out of the bluff. Pondering the implications of this, Jewel was startled when two, shining Gleamstones bounced out of the turbulent zone and headed straight toward her!

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With a surreptitious look around, Passion check to see if any other Samanayrs had noticed his rather... abrupt... landing. In that quick glance, he didn’t see anyone looking, but just in case, he quickly unruffled himself before moving over to the river for a quick drink.

Lowering his head to lap up some water, Passion caught a flash of bright red, caught between a few cobbles near the edge of the river. Carefully reaching in to extricate it, while trying to keep as much of his fluff dry as possible, he pulled out a pretty little sprig of Tandil Berries! Using theatrically large gestures, Passion pulled up his prize, looked it over, and placed it into one of the Sharian-supplied baskets. Maybe anyone who saw his descent would think he’d spied the berries and was in a big hurry to scoop them up?

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Leaves still slowly drifting down behind her, the little mystic filly squirmed down into the root-formed nook. It was the perfect bed or hidey-hole or any number of things to someone her size. With a little bit of scraping at the bit of dirt and leaves that formed the floor of her shelter, the filly saw a bit of a subtle sheen through the grit. Excited, she dug a little faster, eventually uncovering an entire hunk of Silver Bark!

The clever little mystic decided to pull the bark up and set it on one of the roots of the tree to get a better look at it before putting it away. It was so smooth! And just a little bit shiny... Just as she was about to stash the bark in her basket and find somewhere else to search, a single Brown Lamanayr Feather drifted down and settled itself on top of the bark. It must have disguised itself as a leaf when she was playing, earlier!

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Moving through the scrubby grasses, Mystic kept an eye out for anything interesting while Burl continued with his agitated muttering in her ear from his position on the harness. It wasn’t until she’d been walking for a few minutes in the unique flora of the bluff when she noticed the dragonet’s complaints had stopped and he was leaning dramatically to one side of the harness. Curious about what had caught the dragonet’s attention, she tried to figure out wheat he was looking at.

As Mystic stepped in the direction that seemed to interest him, he began chattering excitedly again. Ahead, between a gnarled tree and a boulder was a shiny spot of color that almost seemed to glow out of the tough grass of the bluff’s top. As she moved toward the spot, Burl launched himself off of her and returned with a Sunsnap Flower clutched triumphantly in his mouth.

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As the leaves settled around lilac they fluttered prettily in a wide circle around her, reminiscent of those same happy autumns that caused her to stir them up in the first place. This particular location was still warm and sunny with the glow of summer, but it would be autumn again soon...

Looking down at the, now clear, dirt patch in front of her, Lilac noticed a bright green stem poking awkwardly through the soil. How strange! It didn’t seem to be growing, but just sort of poking up there. With a bit of effort, she uncovered more of it until a large section of soil crumbled around some small creature’s forgotten winter cache. It was too late for these to be last winter’s food, and too early to be next winter’s food... so that meant all three springs of Rosa Berries were free for the taking!

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Shifter flitted between the trees of the forest, looking for anything interesting to stop for. The flowers were certainly colorful, and some of the trees had an interesting, spicy-smelling moss growing on them... but what to look for? As she searched, the carry basket stayed securely in place thanks to the good work of the Sharian, and Shifter began to hum to herself a reprise of the expedition song from before.

Distantly, a cooing noise echoed her silly melody.

Surprised, Shifter paused, hovering in midair while she sang her song again, a little louder.

Again, the cooing noise, slightly more shrill this time, from the... left!

Darting off in the direction of the noise, Shifter continued singing and listening for the sound like Find-Me-If-You-Can games that foals play. Eventually, Shifter landed on the branch of a large tree covered in yellow flowers and sang again but there was no answer! Frustrated, she sang again and turned around to try and find it again only to find herself staring into a pair of silver eyes!

A little dragonet cooed Shifter’s song back at her, and then flapped it’s way around and sat on the branch next to her.
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The curious fish continued their nosing and nibbling until Summoner began digging in earnest. Her efforts were reasonably clean, but she couldn’t help but stir up the bottom a bit, and the fish fled to a safer distance.

The first boulder she nosed around didn’t turn up much but silt and pebbles, but the second one had a Gleamstone tucked around one side. Carefully placing it into her water-resistant basket, Summoner turned to look around again, noticing a very large boulder out in mid-stream. A tiny flash near the bottom caught her eye, but the stone was too large to budge.

Digging at it with her front flippers and thrashing with the back ones to stay in place in the river Summoner worked at the stone until eventually she managed to pull her prize out. By now the bottom was too stirred up to see much of anything, so she went top side to check if her find was worth the trouble. Once her head was out of the water, she took a deep breath and held up a whole, intact Rainbow Lamanayr Feather!

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Sunset got his bearings at the top of the bluff, trying to decide how best to search for interesting objects without getting too near the other Samanayr. Heading vaguely upstream to a small copse of trees, he stopped abruptly as something caught his eye. It had looked like the colors of the setting sun, but that would be ridiculous—the sun was still overhead! It was certainly getting to be late afternoon, but sunset wouldn’t happen for quite a while yet.

Turning quickly he caught the colors again... there! Just across the river, perched on a rock on the sandy portion of the opposite bank was a large, colorful dragonet! Staring at it, Sunset watched as it also turned to face him. Thrashing its tail in agitation, the dragonet shifted back and forth and scratched at the rock below it.

Finally the dragonet made up its mind, spread its wings and cried a shrill challenge across the river!
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Pulling his head quickly out of the hollow, Reel almost fell backward as he tried to get away from the bats that may or may not be in the tiny cavelet. The motion carried him backward toward the little rockslide again where he spied a gleam that he hadn’t noticed the first time! There, next to the naughty rock, was a pretty little Gleamstone. In fact, just a little farther from the pile was a second Gleamstone!

Happily gathering the two little stones, Reel put them away into his hastily-assembled harness and looked around for something else to investigate. He was about to climb, wiggle, and hop off to another ledge when an intoxicating aroma wafted by. A little ways to the left of the ledge he was on, there was a larger, sam-sized cave opening in the bluff with a Sweetscent Flower poking out of it! He could climb over to it and risk another cave with hypothetic bats, or he could continue on away from the caves, looking for more treasures like his gleamstones and ignore the fantastic smell of the flower...

Lilac beamed in pride as she tucked the berries carefully into her harness pouch. She couldn't believe her luck! She wandered around the trees for a few moments, trying to decide what to do next. Her confidence was bolstered by the weight of the berries she carried, but did she feel brave enough to climb the rocky bluff? She had seen some of the other Sams working their way up the heights, and remembering it now made her shiver. Nope, definitely not feeling brave enough to attempt that, even now!

She had also had her fill of digging around in the dirt, though. She wiped her hooves carefully on some leaves to clean them, and took another good look around the cool forest. Most of the canopy stretched around her at about the same height, but she could see some of the larger trees extended above the rest. Her wings could use some exercise, after all, so she might as well see what might have gotten caught in the branches above.

Taking wing, she flew slowly up toward the treetops. Her path wound around tree after tree, looping and swirling as she climbed in the sky toward the leafy forest ceiling. As she parted the final branches, the warmth of the sun enveloped her, and she closed her eyes briefly to enjoy the sensation after so long in the cool shade of the trees. As the gentle heat warmed her muscles, she opened her eyes to view the landscape above the trees. It almost looked like the plains near her home, green below her with a few larger trees poking their heads up here and there. What exciting things might await her in this new land? She glided about, keeping a sharp eye out for new discoveries.

What a cache he had found in his searching! Reel was pleased enough with his Gleamstones and flower that he decided to sit and preen himself again, for a moment. His feathers needed to look their best, after all. It was only after a few moments that he figured perhaps he should stop and get back to the expedition... no one was watching him, anyway. Were they? Maybe he looked lazy? Lazy?!

He fluffed up as he leapt to his feet, deciding he was going to climb the high bluff if it took him the entire day!

He pressed his long ears back against his head and, with a look of determination in his golden eyes that had probably never been seen there before, he reached up to the nearest foothold to grasp at it with his talons. His back legs scrabbled at the rock face and he reached up for another, and another. He could tell the going was slow, but for now he was certain he could do it.

After another hour of clawing his way up, he began to reconsider.

Almost every part of his body ached and his dangling, rounded hooves were practically useless to him. He began to press his wings against the rockface on either side of him, using their powerful muscles to give him some thrust, but he found himself making a negligible amount of progress. His eyes focused on the ledge a couple of feet above him, one that looked like it could lead to the summit of the bluff. His mind took the concentrated pain of his muscles and screamed it into his brain, urging him to just let go of the rock, glide down from the bluff, and concede defeat.

But the ledge was so close, he could practically taste it (ew, ptoo, mineral-y!), and his thudding heart beat faster as if to urge him further upward. It felt like his chest was on fire, and he told himself it was the fire of tenacity and willpower.

He would make that extra couple of feet!

Conceding its own defeat, his mind turned to desperation and offered him a plan. Readying himself, he made sure his talons were fixed tight to their holds. He flexed his wings and licked his beak in anticipation. His eyes never left the ledge above him. Carefully, he swung his rear legs away from the rock face...

As his legs swung back, he slammed them against the rock below him. He put all of his strength into shoving himself upward, and gave a powerful flap of every feather on all of his wings. The moment his forelegs were done pushing him up, he reached out with them, grasping desperately for whatever he could.

His gambit popped him up a few feet, well above the edge of the ledge; his outstretched talons came down on cold rock just as his stomach hit the edge and pushed an 'oof' of air out of him. His back legs went into immediate action, scrambling against the sheer rockface, trying to find any purchase he could pull himself up with. After another moment of effort, he dragged himself up onto the ledge and lay panting there for a moment.

When he finally got to his feet, he began to preen himself for a job well done, and why not?

As he preened, he surveyed his surroundings. The ledge hung off a rise in the topography that signified the top of the bluff. There wasn't much here; a number of underdeveloped shrubs clung to the rock and poked out of cracks across it, while scraggly evergreen trees bared their scant needle-leaves against the biting upper-altitude wind, desperately seeking the warmth of the sun. There were a few large rocks dotting the area, as well, some craggy and dark and some light and smooth.

As unimpressive and colorless as the blufftop was, the view surrounding the bluff caused Reel's breath to catch in his throat. Thousands of verdant, leaf-fuzzy treetops sprouted from the depths of the cool-looking forest while the blue river ran through it, collecting in a titanic bowl, a silvery surface that reflected the clouds high above. All around the bluff, the coursing water smashed and exploded into tiny droplets that reflected the prismatic spray of sunlit rainbows from nearly every crevice of the bluff, painting the very air with dazzling color.

Reel probably would've lost himself in the sight if he'd been allowed, but the sounds of other Samanayrs scavenging around on the bluff reminded him he had a job to do.

There were a number of chipped rock pieces settled on the blufftop, and Reel made an effort to turn over every one in his path, though they generally sat on nothing more than beds of moss or more rocks. The scraggly shrubs did not seem to offer much in the way of a hiding place for items, so he ignored them in favor of approaching some of the trees. A number of them had knots in their trunks, some tiny and some big and one even occupied by a squirrel that was none too happy to have Reel sticking a talon into his home!

Reel backed away from the tree and right into a large rock, easily twice his size. He circled the rock, looking for anything of value, and there were certainly plenty of nooks and crannies in the craggy surface, not to mention burrows dug under it that he hoped didn't contain any snakes. A tiny part of him - ignoring the larger, more logical parts - hoped one of these nooks would contain a cookie or two.

Spectrum almost passed by the flower as she drifted across the ledge before recognizing the beautiful purple flower that was producing the delightful scent. With a squeal of glee she hooked the duller plants out of the way and scooped the flower up, nestling it gently in her pack after a few moments of admiring it. Such a pretty purple, just like a rainbow! And so different from anything else on the ledge! Yes, this would be good to take back. And maybe she could try drying the flower out the way she'd seen some do with other plants so that they lasted and lasted for admiring.

Encouraged, she started to drift on when the back of her neck tickled and she discovered the feather. Even more perfect! What better way to remember the rainbows than such a colorful feather? It matched her, it matched the rainbow filled air, it was perfect! As she craned her neck around to admire it the air momentarily seemed to fill with rainbows as her magic pulsed out in joy. She was going to wear this for a long time! It fit so well right where it was!

As the sky returned to normal the Elemental looked around for the other visitors to this place. Where had all those pretty little scraps of color gone? Floating out in the air beyond the ledge she looked around. Some of them had gone high, high up in the sky to the very top of the bluff, others frolicked around the lovely but dangerous (in her mind) waters below. A few flitting glimpses of color seemed to indicate that still more were further out in the forest again. Spectrum watched them for awhile, admiring the patterns life wove across the world, the living colors following their dance through life. This was what she loved...this, she told herself, was why she had ceased to be a rainbow and come down to join them as one of the Kin.

There she might have remained, distracted from the hunt into simply watching the world with childish wonder and delight, save that the feather, still tangled in her mane, shifted in a gentle breeze, scratching against her scales once more. The slight rasping sound and tickling sensation drew her back to the reason the Sharians had brought her here. Wide silver eyes once more looked over the area, this time observing the land rather than the life. These items were nice, but her vague recollections of the talking on the way suggested that she should look for more? Well, she had no problem with this. It meant she could remain here longer. And maybe there were more lovely rainbow things to find!

Spectrum still didn't want to venture into the water below, and while the forest was lovely from afar it was such close quarters. Turning her head upwards, she decided to follow some of the others all the way to the top of the high bluff. Lazily drifting upwards, wings slowly rowing the air, she watched the rough stone of the cliff face glide past. Slowly she noticed that it wasn't so dull as she had first thought. Hidden in the dull brown and grey stone were tiny flecks of color! Little chips of mica studded the bluff face in places, catching the light and winking out tiny, tiny rainbows of their own! Entranced, Spectrum hardly noticed she was rising still higher until suddenly there was no more cliff before her.

With a start she stared out over the scraggly growth on the top of the bluff, watching as brightly colored Sams investigated the stones and plants residing there. Blinking slowly, uncertain of where to look herself, she drifted out onto the surface. Then she saw the perfect spot! Darting out over the bluff top she zoomed over to a glittering pile of mica studded pebbles at the base of a larger boulder and began stirring them with her spikes to watch them shimmer and shine They seemed to have settled in a little hollow, so there were far more of them to admire than she'd first thought. After a bit she left the pile to examine and admire the boulder they seemed to have come from. Even more than the cliff she had just flown up, this stone shimmered in the light, glints of color and light flashing against the dark rock. So pretty! Maybe she could take some of the stone back with her?

​Jewel of the Deepest Trench was calculating the approximate volume of water output when a brilliant flash caught her eye. The samanayr blinked in surprise - some fish falling over the edge of the waterfall? - and quickly scanned the churning water to find the cause. Two gleamstones were swept along by the strong current!

​Jewel’s heart jumped like an excitable frog and she quickly picked up one stone, tucking it safely into the net bags that the Sharians had equipped her with. The second she studied for a bit longer, admiring its colors and textures. What a find! With it carefully held in her mouth, Jewel returned to the surface and rolled onto her back; she balanced it on her stomach, keeping her front fins up so it couldn’t roll away, and watched the sunlight play on its smooth surface. A marvelous discovery, really. And to have two specimens! Perhaps the unique environment had produced them, she pondered. There were certainly more clues that the local geology could provide and once the second gleamstone was stored with its sibling, Jewel returned to her investigation of the waterfall.

​It was interesting to observe the waterfall on a macro level. The dynamic force of rushing water meeting the equally strong, immovable earth - If she were more inclined to poetry or philosophy, Jewel might have been able to derive some message or moral from the minute changes that water wrought on rock. Or perhaps something about how that very river, so good at buffeting the rough edges into smoothness, was contributing to erosion that could send soil, stone, even boulders into the water to create new jagged cliffs and bluffs. Was that irony? Jewel would have to study literary devices at some point. Some point in a distant future, of course; she was far too busy with the glories of science to be distracted by literary terminology.

​With strong swings of her tail, Jewel dove under water and turned again to face the current. The water rushed along her lithe body, and bubbles clung to her fur and fin wings. Once again she regretted her lack of gills; with such a crashing current, there was certainly plenty of oxygen in the water. That line of thought lead to her wondering about the ecosphere of the area and she abandoned her geological queries to delve into an animal inventory. ​Once again she floated on her back at the surface. Above she could see birds, but they were too high in the air for her to identify them. She could also see some of the other sams busy exploring the other landmarks. She wished her other scholars well, but did feel a tinge of disappointment that she hadn’t acquired their assistance. After observing them for another few moments, Jewel twisted and dove back under the water.

​Her long ears swayed just like the seaweed that clung to the rocky bottom of the blue river​; perhaps that was attracted small striped fish to nibble inquisitively at her fur. Jewel didn’t mind the tentative inspection of her fishy companions - science transcended species! - and it gave her a convenient opportunity to study them in return. When one developed an interest in her net pouches, though, she had to frighten them off with a few kicks of her finned feet. She wasn’t going to risk losing the gleamstones! Her ichthyological portion of the day’s research concluded, she swam to shallower waters closer to the river bank to see what other life forms had populated the habitat.

​It took some effort, and quite a few breaks at the surface to catch her breath, but Jewel flipped a stone that she felt was a good candidate for protecting mollusks. She wasn’t disappointed: two crayfish shot out into the open water, but not so quickly that she couldn’t note their color and approximate size. There were also freshwater bivalve shells in the murky river bed. She counted them and then swept away the sandy dirt with her tail to get a better look at the patterns in the shells. Once she was satisfied with that survey, Jewel swam to where the seaweed grew thicker. Here small snails clung to the plants and more fish hid in the shady haven.

​One particularly fascinating clump of emerald sea grass caught her attention. It was possible that a growth so lush supported its own tiny community of life, and she was determined to examine it. Jewel parted the seaweed with her front fins and stuck her face in and -

CRUNCH!

With a yelp Jewel jerked back. Hanging from her nose by one of its accursed pinchers was a crayfish! Despite the pain and ignominy of the moment, Jewel realized that based on its color and size, it was probably one of the crustaceans she had flushed out from under the rock. The indignity of it all! She shook her head from side to side to dislodge it, but it held fast in crabby revenge. Jewel shot up and broke through the water’s surface with a splash, and finally with a forceful toss of her head flung the creature up into the air. It made an arch, little legs scrabbling usually, before plopping back into the water. Jewel clutched at her nose and whimpered as she sunk back under the waves. The things she had to do for science! At least the crayfish hadn't pinched her gleamstones.

Sniffling and grumbling to herself about how true genius was never appreciated during its lifetime, Jewel returned to exploring the banks of the river. She wanted to find something more; going back without more specimens would just add insult to injury!

After an incoherent outburst and for long seconds afterwards, Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens could do nothing but stand and openly gape in bewildered wonder at the wild dragonet, who was staring right back at her. Still holding its gaze, she took in the unexpected singer's appearance: this was a female, with the general shape of a wild dragonet, but smaller- barely, just barely bigger than a hatchling -compared to other full-grown members of her species. Yet for what had been lacking in size was compensated with natural beauty. The few bright rays of the sun that had managed to penetrate the dense canopy of leaves and twisting branches overhead made some of her scales, normally the colour of pewter, sparkle silver. A corner of Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens's mouth started twitching upwards as she came to the realization as to whom the voice belonged to. Then she sang her ditty again, no longer a capella now but with instrumental accompaniment, while her new singing partner cooed along, their voices mingling harmoniously in a duet, echoing throughout the forest.

It was kinda catchy.

After a beat to bring the little song to its proper end, she gave a giggle-snort and said, "Hi, I'm Shifteyr of the Enchanted Gayrdens! I like you-- you'yre pyretty, and you have a nice voice." She paused briefly as a thought struck her, before continuing. “...So, I'm taking payrt in an expedition to look foyr stuff to byring back for the Shayrians, in exchange foyr some shiny tyrinkets. Would you like to come along and help me?” The unnamed dragonet who would come to be her pet blinked slowly at the gardenly Samanayr, taking a moment to consider it. As if understanding, she merely nodded acceptance of the offer.

Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens whooped for joy. "Follow me," instructed the Minayr Shifter to her little companion as she leapt off the branch and glided away. Without delay, the wild dragonet sprang up, trilling and flapping her wings as she was led deeper into the cool forest.

The air was spicy with the scent of flowers and moss, as the wild dragonet drew up next to Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens; mirroring her movements as they flew in tandem with comfortable ease. This in spite of their different configurations and size differences, continuing on an invisible path that wound around trees. Until they dove straight down steps in a patch of sunlight on the forest floor, littered with the dead leaves from past autumn seasons, landing with light bounding steps.

Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens then scanned the surrounding woods where they settled themselves in carefully. Looking... looking... looking...

Rather abruptly, the wild dragonet let out cry that sounded like "kweh, kweh!" and pounced, scattering dead leaves, grass, pebbles and other debris into the air as she went ploughing face first into loose dirt. One of the diminutive mare's ears swivelled in an unconscious gesture to pick up the excited chirping, before she snapped her head sideways, just in time to see that the wild dragonet female begin digging around in the pile. "What've you found?" Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens asked, coming up with an eager step to stand beside her.

After a moment of clumsy fumbling, the wild dragonet's face flashed a look of triumph when she brought forward in her hands a stick (not a particularly long stick, but a stick nonetheless). Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens stared at the "successful" hunter for a minute as she searched for the right words to say. Forcing a smile, she marvelled, "That's a mighty fine stick you found, all yright. You'yre tuyrning out to be a good hunteyr. You did veyry well." The wild dragonet visibly preened over the praise as she handed the stick to Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens, as if that was what she had been intending to do all along. Thanking her, the one and only combo-species Samanayr then let out soft hum as she turned it over in her stone talons, taking it in appraisingly. "I think I know just how to use this."

Suddenly, she was on the move. The wild dragonet female was quick to be off after Shifter of the Enchanted Gardens, who was alternately using the stick to poke through the underbrush then flying up to investigate the canopy, in their expedition to look for unusual things.

"Tandil Beyrries!!" Passion said aloud as he pulled them from the ground between some cobble stones. "Thats what I was going foyr!!" His face lit up as he made a big stink about his newly found treasure; hoping his antics would lead others to believe he had fallen on purpose! Ya, thats it! He shoved them into the baskets he had been tied with and stood taller than before, his demeanor changing completely upon their discovery. Things were looking up! Maybe he WAS meant to be an explorer!

The small taste of acomplishment made him lust for more! Oh boy, did he want to find more! With a new pep in his step he started to search around, his head swaying from side to side and his nose closer to the ground; almost mimicing a blood hound in his searching. "I wondeyr what else could be ayround heyre..." He mumbled to himself as he continued looking, wandering into The Cool Forest.

He tucked in his wings to make sure they would not get caught on any low branches, he did not want tattered wings like his great grand mother Depths. With that in mind he raised his head, looking up in the trees. He scowered their branches, occasionally getting side tracked with the brilliant wing flaps of glorious butterflies; their colors AMAZING! One butterfly seemed to catch his attention more than most, leading him deeper into the forests loving embrace. It flitted from one flower to another, living art in motion.

Passion always had a soft spot for butterflies, probably because he himself felt they were related some how. They reminded him of his family primarily, full of color, beauty and love. The thought made him smile. With a quick shake of his head he stopped his thoughts and turned them back to the task at hand, exploration! His smile turned to a smirk as he started poking around a large tree that was laced with flowers that vined up its trunk. The flowers were orange with a touch of pink, his favorites. Taking a moment he sniffed one and sighed contently. Even if he found nothing else, the sights of this glorious place would taint his soul forever.

After stopping to smell the flowers he began to walk around the tree, searching for any other items of interest. He liked this exploring, it was fun! He tripped over an up rooted root and almost lost his composure but quickly regained his balance and chuckled at himself; almost like a giddy school girl. He seemed to be a cluts no matter what element he was in! His chuckles faded as he continued his search, focused and determined to find SOMETHING.

The silverbark was almost too large for her to lift into the small basket. Now that I got it in how will I fit anything else? It was an honest concern for the tiny mystic as she still had to tuck away the lamanayr feather that had fallen from above. Twisting it around the bark she managed to fit it. Struggling free of her hole she felt lopsided. Walking left her with a definite lean to the right. She had to find something else to help balance herself out!

Free from the root nook she finally got the chance to look around herself. So many of the adult sams had moved into the forested area, perhaps it was time to move on. Wandering around the sound of water nearby caught her attention. She loved playing in the water! It was perfect! And there were always shinies and things to find in the reedy banks.

Racing on her little legs she approached the blue river with excitement. With a gleeful leap she jumped into the shallows to splash about with excitement. So maybe she wouldn't find something that way, but it was fun and made her feel better. Splashing through the reedy banks of the river was almost as fun as looking for treasure in her opinion.

A loud splash from a nearby bank brought her attention back to the task at hand. She needed to focus! Looking down at the churned up bottom she let out a sigh. There would be no seeing anything in that cloudy mess. Maybe if she just… pushed a little with her magic the flow of water would clear itself. It was either that or she'd end up making a small wave. Magic, was never as easy as adults made it look.

Summoner didn't know why in retrospect, but she hadn't anticipated physical labor being a big part of the expedition. How wrong she was! After all, if these little gems of usefulness had been clearly visible, the Sharians would have doubtless collected them already. There wouldn't be any need to recruit small, eager helpers.

She admired the newly-unearthed feather for a few moments before reaching around to tuck it in with the gleamstone she'd found earlier. Those two finds would doubtless meet with approval. She could only imagine how long the stone may have been tucked away, though the feather seemed a more recent addition. Or at least, it looked to be in good condition. Feathers didn't normally hold their shape for long underwater.

With another deep breath, she dove back down beneath the river's surface and resumed her search. The further she swam from the falls, the more sedately the blue river continued along. She didn't want to venture too far and she worried that she may have already ventured too far from the area they were supposed to search. There hadn't been very clear instructions, after all... the Sharians seemed to leave most decisions up to the individual searchers.

Suddenly indecisive, Summoner pedaled back against the draw of the current and swam off near the shore of the river. Should she return to the falls? Should she explore the basin around the waterfall near the other Aquatic? There seemed to be more than enough area that their searches wouldn't interfere overmuch.

Shooting out a jet of anxious bubbles, she surfaced once again before beginning her swim upstream. She'd come this route twice now, and would doubtless be down it a second time to leave. She felt as though she'd just wasted some valuable time.

Ignoring the fish and the flora, she concentrated on moving against the current until the base of the river deepened and widened into the bowl of the waterfall. Sand transitioned to pebbles, which became a rocky landscape retreating into darkness. She followed the slope of the ground, undulating forward and keeping her wings tucked tightly to reduce drag as she descended. The roar of the waterfall above sounded so different below the surface, especially far enough away to block out the strongest rush of water. She squinted, peering from rocky patch to waving grasses before she eventually decided that looking would do her little good. She needed to stir things up. With less sand, the consequences in terms of visiblity had lessened, but the chance that she might disturb something living increased. She didn't fancy running afoul of something with teeth or claws.